Rajasthan Royals have stuck with most of the players who helped the franchise reach the final last year, as they look to go one step further in the 2023 Indian Premier League.
Jason Holder was the biggest purchase for the Royals in the 2023 auction, as he was bought for $700,000. Australian spinner Adam Zampa also joined for $182,700 while Joe Root is also set to play a small role this year.
You cannot blame Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara for keeping the core of the 2022 squad as they won nine of the 14 group games on their way to the finals. The franchise have not won the tournament since its inaugural season back in 2008, led by Shane Warne.
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RR 2023 IPL squad
The Royals added nine players to their roster for the upcoming season, but most of those signings are to add depth in case of injuries. Holder, however, could be the missing piece as the all-rounder provides help in all departments.
| Player | Role | Age | Auction Price | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanju Samson (c) | Batter/wicket-keeper | 28 | IND 14 crore ($1.7m) | India |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Batter | 22 | IND 7.75 crore ($944,000) | India |
| Jos Buttler | Batter/wicket-keeper | 32 | IND 10 crore ($1.22m) | England |
| Shimron Hetmyer | Batter | 26 | IND 8.5 crore ($1.03m) | West Indies |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Batter | 21 | IND 4 crore ($487,000) | India |
| Dhruv Jurel | Batter/wicket-keeper | 22 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | All-rounder | 36 | IND 5 crore ($608,500) | India |
| Riyan Parag | Batter | 21 | IND 3.8 crore ($462,000) | India |
| KC Cariappa | Bowler | 28 | IND 30 lakhs ($36,500) | India |
| Kuldeep Sen | Bowler | 26 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Kuldip Yadav | Bowler | 26 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Navdeep Saini | Bowler | 30 | IND 2.6 crore ($316,450) | India |
| Obed McCoy | Bowler | 26 | IND 75 lakhs ($91,300) | West Indies |
| KM Asif | Bowler | 29 | IND 30 lakhs ($36,500) | Indian |
| Prasidh Krishna | Bowler | 27 | IND 10 crore ($1.22m) | Indian |
| Trent Boult | Bowler | 33 | IND 8 crore ($973,600) | New Zealand |
| Murugan Ashwin | Bowler | 32 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | Bowler | 32 | IND 6.5 crore ($791,000) | India |
| Akash Vashisht |
All-rounder |
28 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Jason Holder | All-rounder | 31 | IND 5.75 crore ($700,000) | West Indies |
| Donovan Ferreira | Batter/wicket-keeper | 24 | IND 50 lakh ($60,800) | South Africa |
| Kunal Rathore | Batter/wicket-keeper | 20 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Adam Zampa | Bowler | 30 | IND 1.50 crore ($182,700) | Australia |
| Abdul P A | All-rounder | 24 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | Indian |
| Joe Root | Batter | 32 | IND 1 crore ($121,700) | England |
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Rajasthan Royals stars, strengths & weaknesses
Rajasthan Royals did not acquire a lot of new bowlers as they already have plenty of depth in that area. Their top order also looks very strong, but the middle order could be a potential problem.
Stars
There will be a lot of pressure on Jos Buttler to replicate what he produced last season. He was given the MVP award after scoring four centuries on his way to 863 runs, 247 more than second-place KL Rahul. The Englishman also hit the most fours and sixes during the 2022 campaign.
Yuzvendra Chahal won the Purple Cap last year as he picked up 27 wickets. He is fourth on the list for most wickets in IPL history with 166, 17 behind Dwayne Bravo in top spot.
Strengths
A top order of Samson, Buttler, Padikkal, and Hetmyer could be the most explosive batting line-up in the whole competition. The Royals should able to thrive in the powerplay and get a good start to the batting innings.
A key task for the coaches will be finding their best bowling attack as quickly as possible. They have an abundance of talent with top level seamers and spinners.
Weaknesses
Jason Holder is a smart acquisition by the Royals as he can help with their middle-order problems. He can be explosive at the end of an innings, but he won't be able to do it on his own every game. Early wickets could prove very costly for Samson's side.
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